Your Guide to Medical Imaging Equipment

Enjoy these tips, tricks and insights that answer 100's of questions we've received from radiology and imaging professionals that need help buying, selling, servicing and maintaining their medical imaging equipment: MRI, CT, C-Arm, Digital X-ray, PET/CT and Women's Health. We extend the life of imaging equipment so that health care providers worldwide can extend the lives of patients. This is why we answer your imaging equipment questions.

One of the most common questions I hear daily is, “Can you tell me the difference between an OEC 9800 C-Arm and OEC 9600 C-Arm”... so I thought it was about time to highlight a few of the major differences for you here. Let me emphasize this is a general and condensed list. My goal here is not to talk about every specific board, screw size, bolt etc. So as always, if you have additional questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

OEC 9800 vs OEC 9600

First Glance: The Cosmetics

Both c-arms are built on nearly identical frames. The weight and dimensions are the same, monitor size is the same, and the footprint is the same. At 50 yards, even the most experienced C-Arm engineers will need a few seconds to tell them apart. When you get up close, you will find a few more distinctions such as the 9600 track pad and keyboard.

Steering and Mobility

The answer to this question depends on the vintage of 9600 you have and whether or not that unit has new or old style steering. The old style 9600 steering is very different but the new style 9600 steering is identical to the 9800. Check out this video that explains OEC 9600 New Style Steering vs Old Style Steering.

Touchscreen User Interface

All of the navigation on the 9800 takes place through the touch screen monitors. From the touchscreens, you can input patient information, navigate menus, and manipulate images. The 9600s do not have touchscreens and require the use of a keyboard and trackpad to input information and navigate through the system.

Image Quality

The OEC 9800 has a 1k x 1k pixel resolution imaging chain. The OEC 9600 has a 512 x 512 pixel resolution imaging chain. This results in a 9800 being able to “see” much finer detail.

DICOM

The OEC 9800s have the capability to have native DICOM on the system by way of an onboard Ethernet board. The OEC 9600s always require an external conversion box to send a DICOM signal.

Hardware Configurations

Both models come in 9” Image Intensifier, 12” Image Intensifier and the 9” Super C option. The 9800 has one additional configuration known as the MD (motor driven) system, which has the ability to electronically control the movements of the “C” via a joystick.

Original Manufacture Dates

OEC 9600’s were originally manufactured from 1994 - 1999. The OEC 9800s were manufactured from 1999-2006.

Price

Last but not least, the infamous “P” word. Like any market, used and refurbished C-Arm prices continue to fluctuate. There are many variables of course but, in general, an OEC 9600 will be 30% - 40% cheaper than a basic 9800 C-Arm package.

See the Comparison on Video

If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to ask via the "Questions?" box on the right. You can also discover more awesome C-Arm resources we've put together for you or let us know if you'd like to request C-Arm price information!

Chris Sharrock is the Fluoroscopy Product Manager at Block Imaging. Sometimes referred to as the “The C-Arm Guy”, Chris has a passion for music, fitness and genuinely enjoys helping others make decisions about c-arms and fluoroscopy equipment. You can download Chris’ very popular “C-Arm Buyer’s Guide” or connect with him here.

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About Us

Radiology and Imaging professionals come to us when they need help buying, selling, servicing and maintaining their medical imaging equipment: MRI, CT, C-Arm, Digital X-ray, PET/CT and Women's Health. We extend the life of imaging equipment so that healthcare providers worldwide can extend the lives of patients.